Discovery BoxIsaiah 15:5 
Context15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, 1
and for the fugitives 2 stretched out 3 as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.
For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;
they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. 4
Isaiah 18:2
Context18:2 that sends messengers by sea,
who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.
Go, you swift messengers,
to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, 5
to a people that are feared far and wide, 6
to a nation strong and victorious, 7
whose land rivers divide. 8
Isaiah 18:7
Context18:7 At that time
tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands armies,
by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,
a people that are feared far and wide,
a nation strong and victorious,
whose land rivers divide. 9
The tribute 10 will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. 11
Isaiah 54:9
Context54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, 12
when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood 13 would never again cover the earth.
In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.
Isaiah 60:9
Context60:9 Indeed, the coastlands 14 look eagerly for me,
the large ships 15 are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God, 16
the Holy One of Israel, 17 for he has bestowed honor on you.
1 tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.
2 tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.
3 tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”
5 tn The precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. מְמֻשָּׁךְ (mÿmushakh) appears to be a Pual participle from the verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh, “to draw, extend”). Lexicographers theorize that it here refers to people who “stretch out,” as it were, or are tall. See BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ, and HALOT 645-46 s.v. משׁךְ. מוֹרָט (morat) is taken as a Pual participle from מָרַט (marat), which can mean “to pull out [hair],” in the Qal, “become bald” in the Niphal, and “be wiped clean” in the Pual. Lexicographers theorize that the word here refers to people with bare, or smooth, skin. See BDB 598-99 s.v. מָרַט, and HALOT 634-35 s.v. מרט. These proposed meanings, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
6 tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”
7 tn Once more the precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. The expression קַו־קָו (qav-qav) is sometimes related to a proposed Arabic cognate and taken to mean “strength” (see BDB 876 II קַו). Others, on the basis of Isa 28:10, 13, understand the form as gibberish (literally, “kav, kav”) and take it to be a reference to this nation’s strange, unknown language. The form מְבוּסָה (mÿvusah) appears to be derived from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”), so lexicographers suggest the meaning “trampling” or “subjugation,” i.e., a nation that subdues others. See BDB 101 s.v. בּוּס and HALOT 541 s.v. מְבוּסָה. These proposals, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
8 tn The precise meaning of the verb בָּזָא (baza’), which occurs only in this oracle (see also v. 7) in the OT, is uncertain. BDB 102 s.v. suggests “divide” on the basis of alleged Aramaic and Arabic cognates; HALOT 117 s.v., citing an alleged Arabic cognate, suggests “wash away.”
9 tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.
10 tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”
12 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “For [or “indeed”] the waters of Noah [is] this to me.” כִּי־מֵי (ki-me, “for the waters of”) should be emended to כְּמֵי (kÿmey, “like the days of”), which is supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and all the ancient versions except LXX.
13 tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
14 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
15 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
16 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
17 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
